Learning from your past self

Cleaning up the files on my computer I found the file of an old blog post A Ghost In The House which I wrote ages ago.  As I read it I thought: "Ya, that's really true, I should do that!!"

Sometimes we fall back into our patterns, even when we know a different way to be.  Writing helps us keep a record of what we know to be true.  A journal is a great way to keep track of insights and new awarenesses that may be forgotten.  You could keep a journal either on paper or online.  You could even create a "journal" email address and send emails to yourself at that address. Then you can read them over later.  You can send yourself letters of encouragement or reminders of the ways you appreciate yourself and your life.

In that post I talk about letting go of my need to be right.  As I become more aware , I realize how much that need is a misdirected attempt at self-protection.  It's based on the premise:  "If I'm right then I'm safe and my sense of myself is safe.  If I'm not right then my sense of self is threatened." My bodymind responds to this threat as if it is real.  But it isn't.

There are lots of situations that we interpret as threatening even though they actually have no ability to really harm us.  We go into a "fight or flight" response (or freeze or collapse/shut down) without recognizing that we're responding as if we're physically threatened.  What is really threatened is our sense of self.  If that can be allowed to be changeable, then we needn't be so afraid of the opinions of others.

Beyond your opinions, beliefs, knowledge, titles and possessions, who are you really?  Are you curious about the essence beyond the armor?  What is your authentic self?